Power Rangers Battle Force
by Rurrlock-God of Power
Summary: Five new teenagers with attitude are called upon as a great evil emerges to take over the world. They acquire the legendary powers of the Power Rangers Battle Force, helping them to combat the evil forces of Vritra and his Dark God Army and save the world from total destruction. With teamwork, courage and friendship; these teens must pull through or else all is lost.


**Power Rangers Battle Force**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights and characters to the Power Rangers Franchise, they are owned by Saban, Nickelodeon and other respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this; it's purely for fun. I only own my OC characters.

**Note: **This is AU. The other Power Rangers series haven't happened in this timeline. Just wanted to clear that up. This is a new continuity.

If you enjoyed this chapter and want to know more about my work, you can like the Rurrlock-God of Power Facebook page.

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_With great power, there must also come…great responsibility!_

_-Stan Lee_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Let Battle Commence**

As the bright sunlight shone over the horizon, Zoe Williams quickened the pace of her peddling on her BMX. She cursed at herself for oversleeping…again. This would be the fifth time this month already, and it was only the first month of the New Year. She was already growing a reputation with the teachers for being a regular detention attender. In fact, she seemed to be in school more times for detention than the actual classes she was supposed to be in.

But was it her fault? Well, partly. She has to work late shifts long enough so that she can help her parents pay for dinner to be on their table. However, that didn't seem to be an excuse that rung home with the teachers at Nabas City High School. Zoe's mind seemed to shift from blaming herself to blaming the teachers for not giving her any sympathy. She was the one paying for the education, why should she be made to suffer if she and her family are having money issues and she's trying to help?

So wrapped up in her thoughts, she failed to notice the man walking in front of her as she tried to take a short cut over the grass field in front of the school building. Fingers immediately squeezing the brakes hard, she managed to come to a halt before she could make any contact. In spite of this, the papers and books that the man was carrying fell out of his arms and were now scattered on the floor.

''Slow down will you!'' The man strained at her, and then bent down onto his knees to pick up his papers. Zoe had never seen this man before. Looking in his sixties, his head balding with just a few white hairs around the back. Wearing a large brown trench coat with a white-buttoned shirt underneath, and also wearing black jeans. He moved his horn-rimmed glasses slightly so they wouldn't fall of his head as he tried to grab as many of his papers as he could.

''I'm so sorry, I was trying…here let me help!'' She quickly went from jittery explanations to hoping off her bike to help him retrieve any papers that were about to scatter in the wind. Zoe never seemed to go anywhere without her black jacket and red shirt, along with ripped jeans and trainers. ''Is that everything?'' She asked as she picked up what seemed to be the last of his papers.

He checked over them, shaking them back into a compressed, neat pile in his arms before addressing her. ''Yes that is. It would be a nightmare if I were to lose these on my first day here.''

''First day? You mean, you're going to be a teacher here?''

''Well, the correct assumption would be I am a teacher here…'' He stopped mid-sentence, and looked at her as if realisation hit him. ''And I'm guessing you're a student here, but didn't classes start over an hour ago?''

Despite her best efforts, Zoe couldn't help but gulp at being caught. ''No…I mean yeah but you see…''

The teacher held up his hand to stop Zoe's argument. ''Now's not the time for excuses, can you please just park that death machine wherever it needs to go and head inside!''

Now it was an exasperated sigh that escaped Zoe's lips as she picked up her bike and went over to the stand to leave it. She hated that word…excuses. It made her sound like some troublemaker that is standing trial for a crime she didn't commit, or at least mean to commit. Even the new teacher, who hasn't stepped past the front doors yet, is having it out for her. Then again, it's never a great first impression when almost running someone over with a bike.

From a distance, a pair of eyes watched as Zoe left her bike locked at a stand along with half a dozen others before dashing inside the building. ''If regular latecomer Zoe Williams has just walked in, that means no one else should be coming in or heading out for a good few hours now.''

The eyes of statement belong to Richard Tucker, just your average-day prankster setting everything up for his next _'big thing'_. Checking once more to see if the coast was clear, he covered his face with his blue hoodie and made a quick rush over to the grass field and scanned the ground before finding the small hole from which one of the sprinkles would pop up.

He rubbed his hands together with joyful glee, excitement filling him at the thought of his next prank going off. About to reach into the hole to pull out the sprinkle, Richard felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He turned around, stricken with panic, but that soon disappeared when he saw whom it was. ''Chris, don't scare me like that.''

''I would ask what you're doing, but I've got a good feeling I know what you have planned.''

''You know me too well bro.'' Richard said sarcastically.

Christopher Tucker paced around anxiously, his fingers fiddling with the hem of his bright green shirt, fearing the worst at what his jokester brother had planned. ''The next class is about to start in five minutes…''

''Yeah don't worry; I'll be done with this before then. After that…then people are going to get an unexpected late afternoon shower!'' He muttered deviously before his expression turned serious. ''By the way, how did you get out of school?''

''Hall monitor for the day! I also get to check around the outskirts of the school as you remember.''

The troublesome brother chuckled lightly. ''I thought you were hall monitor yesterday…oh wait, let me guess, you just wanted to help make sure everyone was following the _'perfect' _rules of our school society.''

''Don't do that to me Rich!'' Christopher said in an irritated tone. ''I'm just trying to be the responsible one, since you can't seem to grasp the concept of the word.''

''Hey, I'll be responsible! When we get to college and have real jobs! But while we're young, there's nothing wrong with having a little fun. Besides, people are just going to get water splashed on them, what's the big deal? Now will you get back inside before someone else comes out looking for you and finds me here!'' Richard said forcefully before getting back to work with pulling out the sprinkler to do his dirty work with.

He wanted to argue with him, to tell him to just stop what he was doing and come back inside. But something inside Christopher seemed to swell up and stop the words from coming out, left frozen on the spot. But he knew that he wasn't going to be getting his twin back inside without him completing his prank, so Christopher turned and walked away.

Once inside, he tried to cast the thoughts of Richard getting in trouble again out of his mind. Instantly, caught in the crowd of dozens of students, either making quick dashes for their lockers or to another classroom that they needed to be at. Christopher looked around to see if anyone else was breaking, or looked like they were about to break, the rules of the school. It was obvious to see that he was a bit of a rule freak.

Rules were supposed to be so things would seem easy and in control. But Christopher had learnt that keeping things in control was always difficult even with rules established, because rules needed people to stick with them and follow through, and he never could no matter how much he wanted to. He would try to uphold them, but his nervousness and fear of causing more trouble than solving it would stop him in his tracks.

While looking around he managed to see another student about to barge into him in a rush. ''Watch out please.'' He called out to the female student before she could crash into him.

''Sorry!'' Lucy Hunt panted frantically as she made a rush past Christopher and tried to find the teacher that she needed to speak with. Her small height made it difficult, and with classes about to start again, it would become impossible to find the person she wanted.

Eventually, she spotted her person of interest. ''Miss Marquez!'' She called out timidly, hoping to get the attention of the teacher who was waiting at the frame of her door for students who might be early to her class. After getting no response, Lucy walked towards her slowly. Trying to nudge her way through the crowd until she finally was face-to-face with the teacher. ''C-can I talk to you for a minute?''

Miss Marquez looked down at the young girl. ''Can you make it quick please, lessons are about to begin.''

''Okay…um…'' She stuttered, wanting to get her request out carefully but fearful of mispronouncing her words or getting the words wrong. Praying that her shyness wouldn't ruin this moment now, she got out her question in one quick breath. ''I want to join the school choir!''

The music teacher stared back at the student; her expression was hard to judge. It was like she was analysing Lucy, studying her to see if she would be right for the play. Unfortunately, she already had the answer Lucy dreaded. ''Well, can you come by in the after school sessions today to show us what you've got?''

Why did Lucy dread this answer? Because it meant she would be pressured into singing in front of a group of her peers, facing down their judgement and possibly being scared from ever wanting to sing again. She didn't want that to happen, she knew she would have to sing in front of people one day, but right now she didn't feel in the right frame of mind. ''I…I…'' She hesitated her response and this was enough for Miss Marquez.

''Lucy, how can I tell if you're good enough for the choir if you won't sing?'' She asked politely, but it didn't do enough to ease the girl's nerves. ''I'm sure you have a lovely singing voice if you think so, but you need to show the world that you do, and how will you do that if you can even do it in front of half a dozen people your own age.''

Not wanting to give up, Lucy tried to think of something else. ''May…maybe…I can sing just for you?''

''Will you?''

Once again, her nerves got the better of her. Lucy couldn't even muster up the courage to sing in front of one person. Why was she so deluded into thinking she could do this? It was just a little girl's dream to be singer! That's what she believed. She wasn't that little girl anymore; she'd changed…unfortunately for the worst.

After having another question without an answer, Miss Marquez tried to think of something encouraging. ''The after school lesson will be open later if you ever change your mind.''

_**RIIINNNGGGG!**_

The loud ringing of the school bell signalled for the start of the next batch of classes. There goes Lucy's chance of trying out for the choir…again. Without another word, she walked away from the music teacher down the hall to the next lesson that she had.

It didn't even matter to her that the other students were pushing and shoving. Right now, she just wished she had that little ounce of courage to just sing for everyone to hear. A tiny part of her wanted to, but that larger part of her was keeping it chained deep inside, unable to break free.

She turned the corner, about to head down the hallway that lead to her class when all of a sudden two boys fell to the ground right at her feet, like they had just been knocked down by a raging bull. Lucy stared at the whimpering boys, bewildered by what was happening.

Then a booming, feminine voice barked down the hallway. ''Get back up and take what you deserve!'' Right away, Lucy knew whom it was that was calling out the knocked down boys…her friend, Alyson Benson.

A very masculine girl with short black hair; a black jacket covering her white shirt with pink stripes going across the chest, with ripped shorts and large steel-toe capped boots. Alyson was defiantly a girl who could intimidate anyone that she came across, and right now, she seemed to be doing a good job with the two big school bullies, Andy Duncan and James Karhad. She cracked her knuckles together and stomped over towards the two sobbing boys that cowered around Lucy's legs, hoping it would offer some kind of protection.

Andy, the taller and stockier of the boys, was the first to plead for help at the shy girl. ''Make her stop, please!''

Wanting to make sure that her friend didn't get in trouble rather then help out the two bullies who probably got what they deserved, Lucy looked up to the approaching tank of a girl. ''Alyson, stop please.''

For the first time, Alyson seemed to acknowledge Lucy's presence. In a flash, she went from raging beast to giddy schoolgirl as she squealed with delight and rushed over to hug her friend, Andy and James flinching with fear. ''Lucy! Oh my, it feels like I haven't talked with you in forever, how have you been?''

''Alyson, we hung out yesterday, as we do every day.''

''Oh yeah,'' She said like realisation had just hit her, but that mood didn't last as that large smile returned to her face. ''Hey you were going to try out for the school choir today weren't you?''

Immediately, Lucy went back into her timid shell, unsure of what her next words should be. Even with one of her best friends, she could assemble the courage to try and explain things how she wanted, to tell things as they were. Too embarrassed at failure in the eyes of someone who could clearly look out for herself, as proven by the two still snivelling bullies at Lucy's feet! Wanting to change the subject, Lucy asked. ''What happened here with Andy and James anyway?''

Alyson looked down at the two, a pout appearing on her face. ''These two made a rude comment about my new hairstyle!''

Lucy looked at the top of her friend's head to notice any changes with her friend's hairstyle, but there didn't appear to be anything different. ''Isn't it how it always is?''

Right away, panic rushed over the tough girl. ''What? I thought it was a little shorter? That stupid barber didn't do it right did he? I'll teach him a lesson!'' She looked ready to go on another rampage when Lucy reached out to grab her arm.

''No, no, it's fine really! I just…needed to look at it longer. It looks good!''

Hoping that it would calm her down, Lucy waited for Alyson's response. Finally, she once again shifted from homicidal mode, to cheery girl in an instant. ''Yay!'' She squealed once more with delight.

The moment was interrupted as Andy and James tried to have a say in the matter. ''Yeah it looks fantastic, stupendous, marvellous!'' Andy mumbled frantically.

James followed suit. ''Absolutely, hardly recognised you.''

At first unaware of the insult that could be interpreted from that comment, Andy grabbed his partner in crime by the shoulder and the two made a run for it while Alyson was still preoccupied with Lucy.

The muscular girl wanted to give chase and get back at those two for offending her hair like that. But she knew that Lucy wouldn't allow her to pass, fearing that it could get her into more trouble with teachers about her 'violent outbursts'. She never saw it as that, she saw it as giving people what they deserve for criticising others and trying to make themselves feel good about it.

No one else saw it that way though. Because of her rough exterior, and tendency to go after anyone that so much as said she had an eyelash out of place, many just assumed her to be some thug with a personality disorder. Why? Well because whenever she wasn't bashing heads together, she was probably one the sweetest people anyone could meet.

Always kind, polite and generous; it was like being with two different people sometimes. It was the softer side to her person that made Lucy friendly with her, and she would even stick with Alyson whenever she had her temper moments…although that didn't mean deep down, Lucy was just as scared as everyone else.

Like nothing had happened, Alyson was back to her merry side. ''Anyway, how's your day been?'' Lucy merely shrugged her shoulders, not really wanting to talk about her freeze-up. Alyson knew that she was hiding something, but thought best not to force it out of her. She reached a protective arm around Lucy's shoulders and leaned on her while also guiding her in the other direction. ''We better get to class before something else…''

At that moment, the two girls bumped into an older man who was carrying a large stack of papers and books, and now all that lay on the ground. The man, who was unfamiliar to the two girls, fiddled with his horn-rimmed glasses and breathed heavily. ''One of these days, I'm going to be run down by students.''

''Sorry about that…'' Alyson started to apology and tried to help pick up the dropped items along with Lucy, but didn't get far when she really noticed that man standing in front of them. ''I've never seen you before.''

''That's because I'm new here, I'm Mr Manahan!'' He greeted. ''And between you and the biker girl this morning, I might not last that long here.''

''Biker girl?'' Lucy said quietly as she handed back the last of the dropped papers to the teacher. ''Must be Zoe if she's only just got here.''

''Either way,'' Mr Manahan interjected. ''Shouldn't you two be off to classes now?''

Without another word, the two girls rushed off to class. Soon, Mr Manahan found himself standing in an empty corridor, finally getting some peace and quiet. This was defiantly going to be something new for the old man, but a part of him did look forward to it…if he survived the next few days that is.

* * *

Silence. Darkness. Nothing. This was all to be expected from the darkest corners of space. Even the stars kept their songs quiet. Billions of light years from any kind of civilisation, any form of life, there are rumours that any explores that dared to journey to this part of the universe would go insane and try to destroy themselves, believing some kind of evil will consume them. Some would bat those rumours away as false tales to scare little children…however; there is some truth behind those warnings. There is in fact an evil that sleeps in this part of existence, an evil so great, even the Gods tremble at the mention of its name.

Despite the ghost stories, that didn't stop this group of bounty hunters from travelling to this place…although they had to work on the right price first. As the hunter's star ship soared through the emptiness of space, the hunters inside couldn't help but feel the uneasiness. As they would work in the corridors, any sound made from the pressure outside made them twitch in fear. The top hunters in the main hanger room watched on, making sure there were no surprises as they journeyed on.

A large elephant-like hunter grunted with impatient as the lack of progression with this voyage. Standing ten-foot tall, with dented tusks and a large trunk that looked like it could smash open the ship from inside out in one swing. ''This is a waste of time!'' He growled. ''We have been travelling for many cycles, and haven't found this so-called Planet X you hired us to find!''

From the shadows behind, a figure stood. A large dark cloak covering his body, and his face shrouded in shadow, making it difficult to see what he looked like. He stood calmly to the side and addressed the main hunter, who was clearly losing his temper. ''We're almost there Bruteon!''

The elephant-like hunter, Bruteon, approached the figure in the shadows. ''That's what you said before we were ambushed for the tenth time, and that was three star cycles ago! This planet you've hired us to find doesn't exist! Especially in this part of the universe.''

The figure in the shadows grinned mockingly; he could hear the tone in Bruteon's voice, the shakiness as he finished his statement. ''So…you really are scared!''

Bruteon's eyes shot open in surprise, before his face turned to disgust at the accusation of him being afraid. His hunter minions that tried to continue with operating the ship backed off slowly, knowing what their master was planning to do. Despite his large size, Bruteon's speed was incredible as he pulled out a large hammer from behind his back and held it threateningly at the figure in the shadows. ''I am not scared of anything!''

''Clearly.'' The figure responded without hesitation in a sarcastic fashion. Even with this bounty hunter, more than twice his size, holding a weapon against him, the figure remained casual and the tone of his voice remained calm and soothing. ''I've paid you to find and take me to Planet X, not to complain about the journey, or try to hide your fear of it. It's understandable to be afraid. Now keep your mouth shut until we get there.''

''What makes you so certain that it exists? Planet X is just a legend…''

''And don't legends originate from truth?''

''To some degree,'' Bruteon argued on. ''There may be some truth to it. Like how it was a battleground for a war thousands of star cycles ago, but that's all I'm going to believe. If it did exist, it doesn't anymore! I'm only taking you because the pay is good.''

Before anything more could be said between the two, one of the hunters at a control console called out. ''Boss Bruteon! We've found something, there's a planet out here!''

Hearing those words made the atmosphere around the main hanger more uncomfortable than it already was. Each of the bounty hunters felt cold and unable to move, as Bruteon marched over to the control console. ''That's impossible…''

''And boss,'' The smaller hunter continued. ''According to the scanners, there's life down there!''

For the first time, the giant hunter made the first indication that he was in fact scared. Gulping silently, and trying to look around the room, hoping that one of the other hunters would call to say the data was wrong and there was no planet around. His hopes were dashed though, as the ship continued on, they could see from the window at the front of the hangar, a small planet coming into view.

Much smaller than most moons, the planet looked ready to crumble into pieces and float into space, it was on the brink of decay. The hunters inside the ship were frozen with fear, no one sure if they wanted to go on or quickly turn back. As Bruteon mentioned earlier, they had gone through a lot to get this far, but even the giant leader was unsure of what to do next.

He turned to face the figure in the shadows, even in the darkness, a sly grin could be seen on his face. ''It does exist.'' The figure sighed with delight.

''Okay, we found your planet. Now what?'' Bruteon questioned, hoping that he wasn't going to get the answer all the hunters feared.

The figure finally stepped out of the shadows, although his body was covered underneath his cloak, his face could finally be seen. Like it was made from darkly coloured diamonds, his face was jagged and sharp. Tied to his belt, was a large black katana blade. ''Land!'' He said sinisterly.

''That wasn't the deal!'' Bruteon replied. ''I'm not wasting my hunters down there, you can just…''

''I'll pay you double!''

The hunter was silent for a moment before turning to his hunters around the room. ''Prepare the ship for landing, and get your weapons ready.''

The hunter's employer smiled devilishly as he watched Bruteon as his hunters assembled themselves as the ship broke through the atmosphere of Planet X. The outer shell of the ship cackled as they edge closer to the surface, and as the sound echoed throughout the corridors, it was like something was laughing at them, as if something was waiting for them.

Each hunter made sure they had a blaster-gun with them, fully loaded and at max power. Bruteon kept his hammer in hand, making sure he was prepared for anything they might come across. The scanner had already detected some kind of life on this dead-looking planet; they had to be ready for anything. He looked once more to the swordsman that hired them, still as calm as ever.

''Still scared bounty hunter?'' The swordsman mocked.

''I am not afraid of anything!'' Bruteon said back as he and the rest of the hunters on the ship headed for the hangar doors, the ship only a few seconds away from landing. ''So what is on this planet you're so desperate to get?''

''You'll see!'' Was the only response the hunter would get before the ship jolted quickly before settling, indicating they had landed.

The hangar doors opened, a huge gush of wind blowing into the ship instantly as the hunters stood anxiously until the doors had opened fully. The ground was cracked open, and the planet looked like it would split in two any second. Dark drops fell from the sky, like rain, covering everything in soot. But most startling, from above, there were just blackness. No stars, no light, nothing. It was like this planet was all that existed, and even it was on the edge.

''Do you want to go first,'' The swordsman spoke. ''Or do I have to hold your hand?'' He taunted the hunter boss.

Not wanting to be taken for a coward, Bruteon was the first to step forward and inspect the planet. Immediately, he could feel the instability, as placing one foot on the ground was enough to shake the whole area and cause a rock pile to the side to crumble and fall. The other hunters were hesitant to walk on, and one even tried to slowly step back into the ship.

_**SLASH! **_He didn't get far, as the swordsman cut the hunter across the back with enough force to cause sparks to fly. The cowardly hunter couldn't even grunt in pain before the life left his eyes and he flopped to the floor without a murmur. The swordsman withdrew his weapon before addressing the other hunters. ''No one will return to the ship until the job I hired you for is complete.''

''What job?'' Bruteon yelled. ''We've done our job! We've taken you to Planet X, and we've landed…''

''I want you to destroy this planet!'' The swordsman replied before Bruteon could even finish his sentence, leaving the hunters baffled by his new demand. ''One swing of your hammer should do the job, the planet has been damaged enough, but it just needs one more push.''

''Are you out of your mind? We'll all be destroyed.''

The swordsman grinned. ''You won't. I'd be destroyed as well, but I wouldn't do that, so you know what I'm demanding won't cause any more casualties.''

''How can I trust you?''

''I'll pay you triple!''

Bruteon was once again silent, as his hunter minions feared the worst, at least until Bruteon chuckled darkly at the swordsman. ''I may sometimes be too materialistic for my own good, but I'm not stupid enough to…''

Before he could finish, the swordsman had one final offer. ''I'll pay you a hundredfold!''

That was all it took for Bruteon to grip the handle of his hammer tighter and look towards the ground, searching for the largest crack to exploit. The hunter minions knew that the price was too great for their boss to handle, and they also knew there was no stopping him from swinging a hammer so strong, it could do serious damage to a stable planet, let alone one that is already broken apart.

They all tried to scurry back to the ship, however they would have to try and get past the swordsman at the frame of the hangar door. He drew his katana once again and struck down any hunter that tried to get around him. No matter how many tried, or how fast they moved, he would cut them all down, sending sparks flying everywhere with every impact.

Those further at the back, aimed their blasters and tried to take shots at the swordsman. This would prove ineffective though, as the swordsman leapt into the air, and used his katana to cut apart the blaster weapons as he landed near them. _**BAM! **_With one spinning kick, he sent all of them flying back, landing hard on the ground.

The brawl going on between the swordsman and the hunters was causing the planet to shake and crumble all around, but that would only be the beginning, as Bruteon found the perfect spot. Smiling at the thought of his payment rather than the risk of losing his life, he lifted his hammer high above his head, before slamming it down hard onto the ground.

_**BOOOOM!**_

The ground below them broke apart, as everything around him, the hunters and the swordsman shook violently. The fighting between the swordsman and the hunters had ceased as they watched the terror around the planet unfold. The rock pills and small mountains in the distance crumbled into dust within seconds, the black rain had stopped in mid air, leaving everything above head still and calm while everything below turned into a quake of unimaginable proportions…then it all stopped.

After that tremendous amount of natural force the planet showed, looking like it was ready to break apart instantly, the ground stopped shaking and the cracks stopped growing. It was as if nothing had happened.

Bruteon stood up straight, looking at his surroundings, the devastation he had caused. At first, he was unsure what to make of what had just happened, than he started laughing crazily. Partly at his own stupidity that he almost destroyed himself while breaking apart a planet, and partly because he failed and he was still alive.

He walked back over to the ship, still laughing his head off, drunk with relief that he was still alive and completely oblivious to the dozens of dead hunters around him caused by the swordsman. ''I hope you're happy, and that you enjoyed your little thrill-seeking moment!'' He chuckled darkly at the swordsman, who stood still and watched out to the horizon of the planet. The other hunters kept their blasters aimed for him, in case of something else he had planned.

The swordsman's eyes gazed onwards as he spoke softly. ''Over the millennia, he has weakened this planet hoping to escape, but couldn't gather enough energy to accomplish this. But thanks to you, you've broken the bars…he is now free!'' It was like he was in a trance, like some kind of prayer.

Bruteon grew curious at this statement. ''Who is he?''

_**BOOM! **_Just than, over the horizon that the swordsman was looking over, a hand burst out from underneath the ground. The hunters all jumped back in surprise and Bruteon was left baffled by what he was witnessing. As someone crawling out from the ground, the planet once again began to shake and crumble around. The black raindrops started to burst and disappear instantly, like thousands of candles flickering on and off.

The creature had finally emerged from beneath, standing around seven-feet tall, a lizard-like face, and with dark robes covering his body. Its eyelids were shut tight as its arms waved slowly around, as if trying to feel…just simply feel. Its mouth open slightly, taking in a deep breath; the taste of air brought joy to this creature, which had felt nothing but earth for countless years.

Although the hunters were still perplexed by the appearance of this new figure, the swordsman wasted no time by falling to his knees and bowing to the creature. ''It is so good to see you again Master Vritra!''

Bruteon turned to the swordsman. ''Master?'' Now it all started to make sense for the bounty hunter, he finally understood what this whole search was about. But most importantly to him…he now understood what that meant for his payment. ''This was all a scam! There is no payment! You just wanted us to find your master and than high tail it to another star system before we knew we were being conned! No one tricks Bruteon the Great and…''

It was at that moment, Vritra finally spoke. ''Merodark,'' The menacing tone wasn't difficult to find, even underneath the surprising smoothness of his voice. ''Who is this idiotic parasite?'' His eyes finally opened, revealing bright-red eyes, with dark slit pupils.

Merodark the swordsman replied without question. ''A bounty hunter I hired to help me free you from your prison.''

Vritra turned to the large bounty hunter, his expression difficult to read. Bruteon wondered what was going to happen, he had his hammer in hand; ready for anything this creature would throw at him. Remembering the payment he was promised, Bruteon pointed his weapon at Vritra. ''Yeah you hear that! I was hired to help you, and I filled my part, so I think I deserve my payment now!''

Vritra tucked his arms behind his hand before taking a few steps forward; feeling the dirt and rocks beneath his feet was intoxicating, like he could only live on having freedom. ''Well since you freed me from my prison, I don't see why I shouldn't reward you for your services…'' As he spoke commandingly, he looked on behind Bruteon at the other hunters, counting how many there were. ''And your reward…you'll be the last to die!''

Bruteon immediately dashed behind the other hunters. ''Fire!'' He ordered, and the hunters didn't argue as they charged their blasters to full power and gave Vritra everything they had. _**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

Each energy blast that struck Vritra's body barely left a scratch, as he hovered slightly into the air, slowly and calmly like he was floating without any fear. No matter how much power Bruteon's hunters charged into their weapons, they couldn't seem to do anything to injure their opponent. Without warning or a chance for even one last breath, Vritra charged at them.

_**BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!**_

Faster than light, Vritra punched each of them in their gut. His fist piercing right through each of their amour, without even a hint of difficulty. Bruteon could only stand back and watch in shock as his hunters all dropped to the floor, finished. All it took was a second, and Vritra hadn't even broken a sweat. He stared down at the bounty hunter, and smile viciously. Taking great pleasure in the thrill of his first battle in so long.

Bruteon thought about escaping, he wanted to. Seeing his hunters get taken out so easily was a shock to the mighty bounty hunter. However his pride got the best of him in the end, he wouldn't let this happen to him, all that mattered to him was his reputation. Putting enough force in his body to make the ground shake and crack beneath his feet, he leapt towards Vritra and swung his hammer, ready to strike with it…as Vritra stood and watched.

_**BAAM!**_

Vritra was struck on the right side of his body; the force strong enough to cause the ground to break apart beneath his feet and create a crater that seemed to stretch for miles towards the left side of his body. The giant bounty hunter only had a brief few seconds to stare in utter disbelief at Vritra…who remained on his feet, barely flinching after getting hit across the right cheek.

Using all the strength he had left, Bruteon lifted his head back; his trunk swinging back as well and quickly slammed it down onto his opponent. However, Vritra need only to lift his arm and block the attack with minimal effort. Shockwaves erupted from all sides on impact. It was over before Bruteon could even beg for mercy.

_**BAM! **_One quick punch to the bounty hunter's gut was all it took. Bruteon gasped silently, coughing up a chunk of green-coloured liquid, his eyes were blood-shot as he stumbled back a few steps. His arms were motionless, like he tried to move them to cover his wounded area, but had no strength left. His hammer slipped out of his pale fingers, crashing to the ground with a thud…before his whole body followed.

For a moment, it seemed like Vritra was admiring his handy work, looking around to see each body that lay dead on the crumbling battlefield. A smile slithered across his face, basking in the glorious sight of his strength. It may seem small-game to him, killing a bunch of bounty-hunters, but it had been so long since he'd had a true fight that anything would do.

''Master?'' Merodark said quietly as he stepped into view of the lizard-like alien.

''Ah, Merodark! I had almost forgotten you were here,'' His voice was cold; with a faint echo behind each word he spoke. ''It feels so good to be free at last. How long has it been?''

''Over Two Thousand years!'' Merodark answered hastily.

''My, such a long time! Who would have imagined that my enemies would have the power to imprison me for so long?'' He stared off into the distance, watching as his prison planet's surface cracked and trembled from the effects the battle and Bruteon's hammer strike. ''But judging by the way this planet looks, it seems that their powers are fading.''

Merodark stood at Vritra's side. ''Master, only one remains, and I know where he is.''

''You do?''

The swordsman nodded before answering. ''On a small planet called Earth.''

Vritra gave a puzzled look, that name? Earth? It sounded familiar, but from where? It was not a planet that was involved in 'The War', but he remembered a name that sounded vaguely similar being used within his presences. After his attempts at remembering failed, Vritra spoke. ''It doesn't matter what planet he hides on, I will find him…and he will be destroyed along with anyone that tries to defend him.''

Both he and Merodark stared upward into space, and soon their bodies began to surge with dark waves of energy. Sparking and flickering like the sparks from a huge fire, they were soon covered with dark flames of unknown power before they shot up into space like beams of light, heading for their new destination.

* * *

The day seemed to fly by for Mr Manahan as he rushed down the hallway, ready to head out of the door and go home. His first day on the job went along breezily, if one wasn't to include the little run-ins with some of the students. Meeting with the other members of faculty wasn't all that eventful, and he didn't have any lessons that he would be forced to teach, just observe as the other teachers would do their job.

Although he had to admit, most of the teachers didn't seem all that eager. It is true that it can be hard to teach about of…teenagers with attitude, but this would be the next generation. Mr Manahan believed they deserved a proper education to prepare for a good future, not just for their own sakes, but also for the world in the years to come. He hoped that he would leave some kind of impact to at least one person at this school. His time in Nabas City would hopefully be a peaceful, yet still enlightening experience.

Just as he was about to approach the main door, a voice called out to him. ''Excuse me?'' He turned and was greeted with the sight of a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties rushing over to him. ''Mr Manahan?''

''Yes?''

She exhaled with a sigh of relief. ''I thought I'd never find anyone in time…''

''Is everything alright Mrs…'' He started off, waiting for her to greet him with a name.

''Oh! I'm Miss Anna Marquez, the music teacher!'' She stated quickly. ''I know you're new here, but I need help with something. I'm supposed to take an afterschool music session in minute, and then I get dropped with having to look after some kids in detention. Can you take over the detention for me? I know this sounds like a stupid request but…''

Mr Manahan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. ''It's no trouble at all. What room are the children in?''

''Oh thank you!'' Anna gushed as she grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him back down the hallway towards the classroom where the children who had detention would be.

Once at the door, Anna turned the knob and open it to reveal the two students that were seated in the classroom…two faces that Mr Manahan already recognised. Sitting in the middle of the front row was Zoe Williams; her head slumped on the desk looking like she was about to drift into sleep. While four rows down on the other side of the room, looking out of the window to watch the birds fly by was Alyson Benson.

It shouldn't be too hard looking after just two students. Mr Manahan looked at Anna Marquez with a reassuring smile. ''It's no trouble, how long do they have to stay?''

Zoe called out grudgingly. ''Ten minutes!''

''Actually Thirty!'' Anna responded firmly to the young girl. She then looked back at her colleague. ''Thank you again; I promise I'll make it up to you one day Mr Manahan…''

''Please, call me David.''

Her smile grew a little wider hearing his name. ''Thanks David! Got to run!'' In a frantic rush, she quickly walked past the room and towards wherever her music class would be taking place.

As soon as Mr Manahan walked into the room, Alyson noticed him and smiled brightly. ''Hi again! Enjoying your first day here?''

Taken back at first by the joyful greeting he was given under the circumstances, Mr Manahan returned an awkward grin but still kept a pleasant tone about him. ''Well this seems like a nice place to be. And it would be really appreciated it that were to continue with a nice and easy thirty minutes of waiting. So what are you in here for?''

''I beat up two guys!'' She said back like it was nothing special.

Once again, unsure of how to response to something that was so carelessly dropped, he turned to look at Zoe, who was still with her head on her desk. ''I already know what you're in for. How many minutes late?''

''Over an hour and a half!'' She grumbled.

''Any particular reason why?''

''You wouldn't care!''

''Why wouldn't I? I'm now a teacher here; I have to make sure everything's all right with you at home or on school grounds so that you don't come in late again. If you don't want to share the reason for personal reasons that's fine, I'm just saying talking about it might be the first step to helping sort out the problem so it won't persist.''

Zoe was perplexed by how genuine he seemed about what he was saying. No teacher had ever given her a speech like that before about opening up, most of the time it was the same old _'sort whatever it is out, and don't let it happen again' _without given her a chance to explain. Now someone was going to let her? And in detention of all places?

The moment was interrupted though as the door to the class opened and two boys stood by the door, about to walk in…one leaving puddles with every step he took.

Christopher, who was dragging along a soaking wet Richard, looked at Mr Manahan with a confused expression. ''Uh…is this where detention is?'' The teacher nodded at Christopher, however, everyone's attention was turned to the brother who was drenched from head to toe. Christopher noticed this and gave an explanation. ''He tried to sabotage the school sprinkles to make them go off.''

''Sabotage is such a strong word,'' Richard said. ''I was altering.''

The sensible twin rolled his eyes in annoyance and continued talking. ''So, I'm bringing him here cause he's meant to serve an hour detention.''

''An hour?'' Richard yelled. ''I thought maximum detention time was half that?''

''I think you've pushed the rules a little too far this time…''

''Rules! Rules! Rules! You never shut up about rules!''

Before the argument could get too heated, Mr Manahan was about to step in, until Zoe had got there first. Placing both hands on the two boys, and forcing them away from each other. She looked at Richard dead in the eyes, a tense look on her face. ''Listen bud! I have to get home and then head out to my job! To do that, I have to get through this detention first, and it would go a lot smoother if you just sit down and accept that your pranks failed again. So just sit down!''

Her words were as hard and cold as steel, leaving the room silent and still. Mr Manahan didn't know what he was supposed to do right now, he knew he should intervene, but something about the girl's confidence and stance made it seem like she had everything under control. To confirm that, Richard walked away and pulled up a seat, without a single word back at her.

''Should I put on some music to ease the tension?'' Alyson said out-loud.

Zoe directed her attention to Christopher, who looked a little uneasy about being within her line of fire right now. Despite her tense expression before, she now seemed to be somewhat relaxed. ''Just go, he's going to be fine.'' With that said, she turned and returned to her seat.

Just then, a faint knock was heard at the door. Everyone watched as the door creaked open slowly, and a shy head poked in to look around. Despite only half the head coming through, and the blonde hair being the only dead-giveaway, Alyson leapt out of her seat with excitement and squealed. ''Hey Lucy!''

Surprised to see her friend in the classroom, Lucy bashfully waved at her while walking into the class fully. She looked over Christopher's shoulder to see Mr Manahan. ''Um…i-is this music class?''

Richard chuckled sarcastically. ''Well there's been enough shouting from this room to probably count it as a music room.''

''Enough.'' Mr Manahan told him sternly. He looked at the shy newcomer with a warm grin. ''I actually happen to know that Miss…'' He didn't get far in his sentence though when pain struck him. It was like something was piercing into his skull and wouldn't stop. The agony coming from his whole body was so intense that he dropped to the ground, screaming aloud. He was unable to control himself as his arms waved around erratically, and his legs had no strength for him to stand on anymore.

The students all stepped back in shock, caught completely by surprise at this random outburst. Many ideas of what was going on to him formed in their different perspectives, the most common one was that he was having a seizure. But this seemed much more violent, like something was ripping his body apart from the inside.

Reacting on instinct rather than thought, Zoe leapt out of her seat and tried to nudge the teacher onto the side of his body, while trying to avoid his swinging arms and legs. The other four students had all gathered around, not sure what they could do, and from the shock of the sudden explosion the teacher was having. Finally, Christopher managed to pull out his mobile phone in an attempt to call an ambulance, however he found that the device was dead.

Each of them tried to reach for their phones and call for help; it was all the same result. At that moment, something started to become clear in David Manahan's head, the source of his pain was appearing before his very eyes as a vision appeared before him. A vision, he has dreaded for thousands of years.

''He's back…'' He mumbled weakly.

* * *

Just as he feared, Vritra was coming…actually he was nearly here. As he and Merodark stood on the Moon, watching the Earth from where they were. Both monsters looked at the planet with a great feeling of pleasure, particularly Vritra, he could now finally defeat his enemy once and for all. He held out his arm, and from the palm of his hand, black flames engulfed it as he smiled darkly. ''Goodbye.''

A powerful blast of fire shot from his hand towards the Earth, ready to destroy it in one quick strike. Not only would he kill his enemy, but also eradicate a planet at the same time…it had been so long since he'd enjoyed any kind of destruction or anarchy.

The moment of victory though was short live, as the blast of fire was stopped when he hit against something invisible. As the flames died down from where they stuck, Vritra could see what they had hit; covering the Earth was a large, invisible force field. The force of the blast was shown, as what was left of the flames circled the outside of the shield almost around the face of the Earth.

Wanting to make sure, Vritra hovered closer to the force field and pressed his palm against it. His hand didn't reach any further. He tried to put all his strength into one push, but it was ineffective. Whatever kind of barrier was around the Earth, it prevented him from getting him. ''Very clever.'' He muttered with a mixture of frustration and admiration. Then a thought came to mind. ''Merodark, go through it.''

''Yes Master!'' He said without hesitation, ready to draw his sword and cut his way through.

''That won't be necessary.'' Vritra said.

Uncertain about how it could work without his weapon, Merodark listened anyway, keeping his weapon down. He float easily towards the force field…and nothing happened. He slipped through without a single hitch. ''Master?''

''Of course! He needs to put all his energy into just keeping me out. He remembers how powerful I am! It doesn't matter, once he's dead, the shield will be broken.''

''Then I'll go and finish him!'' Merodark stated proudly.

Before he could go, Vritra lifted both his arms, holding out one in front of him. With a quick flick of his wrist onto the other, a small cut appeared and purple blood started to leak out. From the blood drops that floated away from the cut though, it began to grow and form into something else, something that had a humanoid shape. Eventually, five blood drops grew and shifted into five, large lizard-lie creatures; resembling Vritra, but appearing more savage.

Once their transformation had been completed, they all pulled on the bones that stuck out from their bodies and raised them above like weapons. Their roars shrieking across the atmosphere, head all over the world.

Merodark looked on in shock. ''The Mallory's? I haven't seen these soldiers since…''

''The War!'' Vritra finished the statement himself. ''For too long the war has been swept away, becoming nothing more than a whispered legend among the stars. For too long I have been powerless, and left to rot and decay in that prison. Although my full power hasn't been restored yet, I can imagine that Aurik is weakened from trying to keep me about bay all these years. You and my Mallory foot soldiers should have no trouble finishing the job. If anyone stands in your way, destroy them all! Let their screams cover every planet across the galaxies! Let the blood flow like a river of death! Then, everyone will know…every man, woman and child…every warrior…every civilian…every king…every race across the known universe, they will all know…The War has returned!''

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
